How do I specialise in hypertrophy?

[Sam277]

I can see your point, you are recommending a more conservative approach in order to not compromise strength too much i.e. If 5reps focuses on strength and 8 to 20 focuses on hypertrophy (approx ranges). Then the rep ranges you recommend give slightly more hypertrophy than 5x5 without compromising strength.
With that in mind & taking it a step further, has anyone experimented with a pyramid structure in terms of reps?

Actually i think maximum hypertrophy is more 8- 12 reps, using the heaviest weight you can. Using the lowest rep of this range, ie 8, will allow you to keep lifting more weight, thus giving more hypertrophy.

[David]

I'm giving a thumbs up to Sam's advice. I'll add a couple of thoughts to the mix;

5x5 on the bigger lifts is good advice. This of course builds strength and size. On your program example, you have squats on both workouts, no problem there. On either your A or B workout you could add a lift after the 5x5 that is in the hypertrophy rep range. For example, do the 5x5 for squats and then at the end add in something like a leg extension or sissy squat or a lunge. Just for a set or two and perhaps for 12 reps. This will of course get the blood flowing in the legs which is a good thing. It is getting you used to some additional work but not overwhelming you.

You can add shrugs on one workout and calves on the other. I'll differ with Sam on one point on the calves, they can respond very well to very high rep ranges. With a one-leg DB calf raise I will go for 15 or more reps and on a donkey calf raise I like to reach 100 with BW in 2-3 sets (100 total).

Curls are fine, I would suggest doing a straight curl on one workout and a hammer curl on the next. You won't need more than 2 or 3 sets. The bicep isn't a large muscle and you're already getting some bicep work with rows and chins. And personally I like to do reverse curls with an EZ bar, worth throwing into the mix as well, but not at the same time as the other curling lifts.

On the DL, the SL program recommends only 1x5. You may want to stick with that. I don't do DL's at all, that's just me.

Main point, regardless of what rep or exercise you're using, each and every rep is a single event. Make THAT rep the very best rep you've ever done, then follow it with the next very best rep and so forth.

I think you've got a good program forming

[David]

One other point I forgot...the tricep. The tricep is the largest muscle of the upper arm and needs to be addressed before the bicep as far as overall importance. Nothing wrong with curls, but a skull crusher or tricep press down or french curl is a good addition. Just like the bicep, your getting some tricep work with bench and dips. So maybe 2-3 sets of skull crushers one workout and 2-3 sets of curls the next workout. Or if you're feeling strong, same workout and switch movements on the next i.e. straight curls & skull crushers on workout A and hammer curls and press downs on B. This is just an example.

[PaulieBee]

Ok, including the additions the two workouts would look something like this.

A
Squat 5x5
Sissy Squat 1x12
Bench Press 3x8
Deadlift 1x5
Shrugs 2x12
Chin/Pull Ups 2x15
Ab Work 2x15
Curl 2x12
Tri Iso 2x12


B
Squat 5x5
Lunges 2x12
Overhead Press 3x8
Bent Over Row 3x8
Calve Raise 2x20
Dips 2x15
Ab work 3x10
Hammer Curl 2x12
Tri Iso 2x12

I think this is what I hoped to avoid, it seems to be getting a bit complex. Also with this array of exercises it seems that a upper lower split maybe more practical.
I've not got on with calve raises in the past and if I'm deadlifting then I could probably knock out shrugs too. This would make it a bit more palatable. Maybe the natural conclusion that most BB's come to is that a upper lower split is the most practical way forward.
I've got to admit I have my reservations about the proposals above, I fear I may be spreading myself too thinly, doing a lot of exercise but with not enough focus.

[atypical1]

Frankly, if you have a good base of strength going then why not do the program that David uses? It seems to me that bodybuilders do the split for a reason. Now I know that is blasphemy on a strength site but body builders work out differently specifically because they want to specialize in hypertrophy.

I don't think your squat range is going to give you hypertrophy. It's going to make you strong but it's not going to make your muscles grow as much as you think. I think you hit it on the head when you said that you've lost focus with this particular workout. That's a lot of volume to do and you're not going to give those last exercises any justice.

james

[Sam277]

Find someone who squats heavy and has small legs james!

A lot of people like johnnie jackson do 5 reps on the 2 money lifts anyway.

[atypical1]

Find someone who squats heavy and has small legs james!

A lot of people like johnnie jackson do 5 reps on the 2 money lifts anyway.

Me. I have very small calves and legs but I can squat over 1.5 times my body weight. A lot of this is genetics too and we haven't even touched that yet.

james

[killerdude494949]

If you want a huge lower body then train with high reps and stretch the shit out of the fascia.

[PaulieBee]

Frankly, if you have a good base of strength going then why not do the program that David uses?

I don't think I'm ready for a routine like this just yet. It is vastly different from what I'm currently doing. I'm not faulting the program, David has obviously had a great deal of success with it. I just feel that this may be too complex for someone who's just started lifting at an intermediate level. It could be a mid to long term goal if my strength gains continue as they have been.

I've read through some of the earlier posts again had a more thorough search of one of Dadas links.

If you really want to pack on a lot of size, I suggest one of the 20 rep squat routines and a lot of food. Any of the ones listed here will do the trick. http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/20_Rep_Squats

Although I don't think the 20rep squat routine is for me, I delved a little deeper and found this routine on the same site.

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/After_Starting_Strength

On this page there is a Intermediate Bodybuilder Variation of the Starting Strength program. It looks like this -

Intermediate Bodybuilder Variation

Day 1
Back Squat 3x5, 1x8
Incline Bench press 3x5, 1x8
Chin-ups 4x8-15

Day 2
Front squats 3x5, 1x8 OR Light Squat 2x5 (80% 5RM)
Seated Press 3x5, 1x8
SLDL 3x5, 1x8

Day 3
Squat 3x5, 1x8
Incline Bench press 3x5, 1x8
Row 3x5, 1x8

Week B

Day 1
Squat 3x5, 1x8
Seated Press 3x5, 1x8
Chin-ups 4x8-15

Day 2
Front squats 3x5, 1x8 OR Light Squat 2x5 (80% 5RM)
Incline Bench press 3x5, 1x8
SLDL 3x5, 1x8

Day 3
Squat 3x5, 1x8
Seated Press 3x5, 1x8
Row 3x5, 1x8

**The backoff set of 8 is done with about 75% of the weight that was used for your 3x5 set.**

These seems to tick most boxes for me - full body workout, three workouts a week, good compromise between strength and hypertrophy. I would probably modify the routine slightly but as long as I push hard and lift heavy hopefully I'll achieve some good results.

[Sam277]

If i were you i'd follow the program to a T, and make some sort of log for your lifts, whether its on computer or just a notebook. Keep reading up on lifting on sites like this, TNation and EliteFTS, all 3 should be bookmarked, and by the time you've finished with the above program you'll know what you want to do next.

Try everything, see what works for you, but make sure when you try something you stick with it for a couple of months, because the best knowledge comes from the gym.

[PaulieBee]

Try everything, see what works for you, but make sure when you try something you stick with it for a couple of months, because the best knowledge comes from the gym.

Definitely! I've learnt so much from doing SL so far. I'm reading up on all aspects of lifting at the moment and my knowledge is improving all the time. In the past I've been guilty of following programs blindly and not fully understanding the theory behind them.
I've still got 6 to 8 weeks before I trial the new routine but I'm really looking forward to mixing it up a bit, I'm sure my body will relish the change.
As for a log I have hand written sheets that I complete during my workouts, these give me an immediate record of recent training sessions. The following day I record weight, reps, sets etc... in a exel sheet along with a brief diary detailing my subjective impression of the workout, was it too hard? easy? has fatigue started to effect performance? Have I had enough sleep? You get the point. I've found this an invaluable point of reference, its made it very easy to spot past mistakes.